Whether you love Paul Howard’s Celtic Tiger creation or if the name means absolutely nothing to you, Breaking Dad will have you laughing for two hours. Breaking Dad is O’Carroll Kelly’s third outing on the stage and he is once again portrayed by Rory Nolan.
The year is 2022 and Ross O’Carroll Kelly is still a forty-something, beer bellied snob with a D4 accent living in a mansion who still mulls over his days as a rugby star. He still dons his dubes and polo shirts while constantly ranting about the commoners of the Northside.
When Honor O’ Carroll Kelly (Caoimhe O’ Malley) brings her new boyfriend Traolach to the family home, nothing but pandemonium follows. While Honor falls in love with Traolach, half brother Ronan (Love Hate’s Laurence Kinlan) is no longer on the Northside but playing for Celtic while fathering nine kids scattered throughout Ireland and the U.K.
Each character is given what seems equal stage time. Sorcha O’Carroll Kelly (Lisa Lambe) is nearly always holding a laptop while being next in line for Ireland’s ambassador to the United Nations and Charles (Phillip O’Sullivan), Ross’s father, singlehandedly retrieved Fianna Fáil and Bertie from the abyss while Ireland is experiencing what he calls “The Celtic Phoenix”.
Ross continues to cheat on Sorcha. He says the secret to a happy marriage is having two mobile phones; one for your marriage and one for your love life. However, this catches up on him when he realises he had an affair with Traolach’s mother the same year Traolach was born. The family keeps their suspicions from Honor when they realise that Ross may in fact be Traolach’s father.
Everything about the play is hilarious, sometimes side splittingly so. The set is cleverly designed by Paul O’Mahoney which accompanied by a fantastic cast ensures an entertaining evening. Rory Nolan steals the show as the dim-witted lead but applause must be awarded to each member of the cast and production crew for such a comical display.
Breaking Dad, a Landmark and MCD production, is running at the Gaiety Theatre until May 17th with tickets ranging from €25-€49.50.
By Finnian Curran
Image credit: Regencyhotels.com
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